Saturday, January 31, 2009

FEBRUARY

Let me be the first to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Be sure and tell someone you love them.
I had a nice visit in January with some someones I love. My children came to D.C. in time for the Inauguration, and we celebrated Christmas late. My son was telling us about his cats.
Mariah use to live here with us, and was always getting into trouble. She fell off the balcony three floors up and only had a cut lip. Then she swallowed a piece of yarn which unfortunately had a large yarn needle attached and needed surgery. Needless to say our vet always asks about her. Bernanke was inherited from the next door neighbor in Wisconsin.

Mariah was always a quiet cat. She never meowed loudly like the others, but politely expressed herself occasionally with a small mew. Bernanke, on the other hand was a kitten and a little boy. He thought he was Top Dog. We have pictures of him doing back flips through the air. When its feeding time he goes into a vocal frenzy . My son puts the dish down—he meows loudly—the dish goes back up—Mariah swats him—the dish goes down—MEOW—swat. The dish goes down………he’s learned his lesson and they eat Even though she’s not Bernanke’s mother, she has taught him a lesson, at least for a day!
I’ve been looking unsuccessfully for a talk I read once about mothering others than our own children. Essentially it said that there are many times we can teach and influence others. Whether we be teachers, co-workers or friends, we can be a positive influence on those around us. Sheri Dew said “As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers, and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. How will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God look like, meaning what we wear, watch and read; how we fill our time and our minds; how we face temptation and uncertainty; where we find true joy; and why modesty and femininity are hallmarks of righteous women? How will our young men learn to value women of God if we don’t show them the virtue of our virtues?
Every one of us has an overarching obligation to model righteous womanhood because our youth may not see it anywhere else…. Every one of us can mother someone—beginning of course with the children in our own families, but extending far beyond. Every one of us can show by word and by deed that the work of women in the Lord’s kingdom is magnificent and holy. I repeat:We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through the dangerous streets of mortality. “Who and how are you going to influence this week?
Maggi, my old cat is sitting on my ironing board and won’t get off even when I spray her with the spray bottle. I guess as long as she stays off the counters and the table I can, as any mother, pick my battles. I can always iron while she’s asleep.
With love,
Wendy Hauer

Thursday, January 8, 2009

PANDA PARTY


Looks like drizzle in DC today.
That’s normal cold weather in China they say.
The panda’s contentedly having his lunch
Of piles of wet soggy bamboo to munch.
I hope for your birthday you’ll get to have cake.
I think that bamboo would be a mistake.